AC-driven light-emitting diode systems

ABSTRACT

AC-driven light-emitting diode systems and methods are provided for driving LED devices (e.g., LED lighting) using AC power. For example, an integrated circuit includes a first power line and a second power line configured for connection to AC power, and a plurality of LED stages, wherein each LED stage comprises multiple serially-connected LED devices, switches connected to inputs and outputs of the LED stages. The integrated circuit further includes switch control circuitry configured to control the switches to selectively connect one or more of the LED stages to the first and second power lines to empower the LED stages with the AC power.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No.17/032,759, filed on Sep. 25, 2020, now U.S. Pat. No. 11,064,586, whichclaims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/718,157, filed onDec. 17, 2019, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,834,792, which claims priority toU.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/780,377, filed on Dec. 17,2018, entitled AC-Direct LED Driver, and to U.S. Provisional ApplicationSer. No. 62/791,014, filed Jan. 10, 2019, entitled MonolithicallyProcessed Light Generator, the disclosures of which are all fullyincorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates generally to light-emitting diode (LED) lightingsystems and in particular, techniques for driving LEDs of an LEDlighting system.

BACKGROUND

LED lighting systems are becoming increasingly popular for use inbuildings and homes as a next-generation lighting solution to replaceless efficient incandescent and fluorescent lighting systems. However,LED lighting suffers from energy conversion inefficiency, and bothersomeflicker when used with dimmers. In addition, conventional LED lightingis powered using direct-current (DC) power, which requires the use ofexpensive, bulky, and electromagnetically noisy transformer-based powerconversion from AC mains to DC power.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the disclosure include AC-driven LED systems and methodsfor driving LED devices (e.g., LED lighting) using AC power.

For example, an embodiment of the disclosure includes an integratedcircuit which comprises: a first power line and a second power lineconfigured for connection to AC power; a plurality of LED stages,wherein each LED stage comprises a plurality of serially-connected LEDdevices; a plurality of switches connected to inputs and outputs of theLED stages; and switch control circuitry configured to control theplurality of switches to selectively connect one or more of the LEDstages to the first and second power lines to empower the LED stageswith the AC power.

Another embodiment of the disclosure comprises a method for driving LEDsusing AC power. The method comprises applying AC power to first andsecond power lines; and controlling a plurality of switches toselectively connect one or more LED stages of a plurality of LED stagesto the first and second power lines to empower the LED stages with theAC power, wherein each LED stage comprises a plurality ofserially-connected LED devices.

Another embodiment includes a light generating device. The lightgenerating device comprises a semiconductor wafer comprising amonolithic integrated circuit. The monolithic integrated circuitcomprises: AC power input terminals configured for connection to an ACpower source, and a first power line and a second power line coupled torespective ones of the AC power input terminals; a plurality of LEDstages, wherein each LED stage comprises a plurality ofserially-connected LED devices; switching circuitry comprising aplurality of switches connected to inputs and outputs of the LED stages;and switch control circuitry configured to control the plurality ofswitches to selectively connect at least two LED stages to the first andsecond power lines to empower the LED stages with AC power from the ACpower source.

Other embodiments will be described in the following detaileddescription of embodiments, which is to be read in conjunction with theaccompanying figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 schematically illustrates an exemplary AC waveform of utilitysupply power that is used to drive LED lighting.

FIG. 2A-2K schematically illustrate an LED circuit according to anexemplary embodiment of the disclosure, and various switching states ofswitches of the LED circuit.

FIG. 3A illustrates an exemplary AC voltage waveform which is applied tothe LED circuit of FIGS. 2A-2K, wherein the AC voltage waveform is shownto be divided into a plurality of zones in positive and negativehalf-cycles of the AC waveform, according to an exemplary embodiment ofthe disclosure.

FIG. 3B schematically illustrates a rectified current waveform of theLED circuit of FIGS. 2A-2K, wherein the rectified current waveform isshown divided into the plurality of zones shown in FIG. 3A, according toan exemplary embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3C schematically illustrates an exemplary process to achieve aconstant brightness by activating a number of LEDs in each zone in amanner that is inversely proportional to the magnitude of the currentshown in FIG. 3B.

FIG. 4 schematically illustrates an LED circuit according to anexemplary embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 5A is a table that illustrates various switching states of switchesin the LED circuit of FIG. 4 over fourteen different and overlappingzones of an AC voltage waveform that is used to drive the LED circuit,according to an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 5B shows one full cycle of an exemplary AC voltage waveform that isused to drive the LED circuit of FIG. 4 with overlapping zones as shownin the table of FIG. 5A.

FIG. 6 schematically illustrates a solid-state bidirectional switchwhich can be used to implement the switches shown in the LED circuits ofFIGS. 2A and 4, according to an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 7 schematically illustrates a light generating circuit according toan exemplary embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 8 schematically illustrates a light generating device which isimplemented in a monolithic wafer form, according to an exemplaryembodiment of disclosure.

FIG. 9 schematically illustrates a light generating device which isimplemented in a monolithic wafer form, according to another exemplaryembodiment of disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

Embodiments of the disclosure will now be described in further detailwith regard to AC-driven LED systems and methods for driving LED devices(e.g., LED lighting) using AC power. It is to be understood that same orsimilar reference numbers are used throughout the drawings to denote thesame or similar features, elements, or structures, and thus, a detailedexplanation of the same or similar features, elements, or structureswill not be repeated for each of the drawings. In addition, the terms“about” or “substantially” as used herein with regard to percentages,ranges, etc., are meant to denote being close or approximate to, but notexactly the same. For example, the term “about” or “substantially” asused herein implies that a small margin of error is present, such as 1%or less than the stated amount. The term “exemplary” as used hereinmeans “serving as an example, instance, or illustration”. Any embodimentor design described herein as “exemplary” is not to be construed aspreferred or advantageous over other embodiments or designs.

FIG. 1 schematically illustrates an exemplary AC waveform 100 of utilitysupply power (referred to herein as AC mains) that is used to drive LEDlighting. The AC waveform 100 comprises a sine wave with respectivepositive and negative half-cycles 101 and 102. The AC waveform has apositive peak voltage VP+ in the positive half-cycle 101, and a negativepeak voltage VP− in the negative half-cycle, and voltage zero-crossings(0V). For example, for utility power of 120 V RMS, the positive peakvoltage VP+ is about 170V and the negative peak voltage VP− is about−170V. The exemplary AC waveform 100 is illustratively a 60 Hz signalwith a period of about 16.66 milliseconds, wherein each half-cycle 101and 102 has a duration of about 8.33 milliseconds.

Furthermore, FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a conventional method fordriving LED devices using AC-to-DC conversion of the peak portions 101-1and 102-1 of the respective positive and negative half-cycles 101 and102 of the AC waveform 100. More specifically, in a conventional LEDlighting system, an AC-to-DC LED driver is used to drive LED deviceswith DC voltage which is derived from the peak portions of AC mainsignal 100. This results in lengthy periods of darkness that may or maynot be visible. In this regard, conventional LED lighting inefficientlyconverts high-voltage AC mains to DC with unreliable, costly, heavymagnetics, transformers, and bulky unreliable capacitors, whereby theusable portion of the AC main cycle is limited resulting in relativelylong periods of darkness, and added difficulty in providing low levelsof dimming without flicker.

LEDs are DC current-source driven devices that are seeminglyincompatible with high-voltage AC such as 120 and 240 Vrms utilitysources. However, in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure,voltage level or time from zero-crossing switched LED strings ofcorrespondingly varied lengths in series and parallel can be made to bedirectly compatible with high-voltage AC sources. DC devices, such aslow-voltage integrated circuits and diodes, have an operable range ofinput voltage and can survive connection to high voltage AC sourcesduring the voltage window that corresponds to the allowable inputvoltage range. For example, a typical LED used for lighting has anominal operating voltage of 3.5 Volts and an allowable operating rangefrom 2.8 to 4.2 Volts. A string of 10 LEDs, as an example, can beoperable from 28 to 42 Volt levels of the AC source. Multiple strings ofLEDs continually added in series gradually support correspondinglyhigher and higher voltages. Alternatively, the switching circuits can beconfigured to shed energy during each zone such that the current isconstant and the voltage variation is consumed by a switching currentsource instead of stressing the LEDs.

FIG. 2A schematically illustrates an LED circuit 200 comprising aplurality of LED stages, Stage 1-Stage 10, a plurality of switchesS1-S22, a first power line 110 (denoted “Line Hot”) and a second powerline 112 (denoted “Line Neutral”), which are connected to AC power(e.g., the AC waveform 100 of utility supply power of FIG. 1) that isused to drive the LED devices of the LED circuit 200. A shown in FIG.2A, each LED stage, Stage 1-Stage 10, comprises a respective block ofserially-connected LED devices 201-210. For illustrative purposes, only10 stages are shown in FIG. 2A, although in some embodiments, the LEDcircuit 200 will have more than 10 stages. In some embodiments, as shownin FIG. 2A, each LED stage, Stage 1-Stage 10, comprises the same numberof serially-connected LED devices, e.g., 10 LED devices, as shown in theexploded view of the LED stage, Stage 4, comprising the block 204 of 10serially-connected LED devices.

The switches, S1-S22, are connected to respective ones of inputs andoutputs of the LED stages 201-210, as shown in FIG. 2A. Each LED stage201-210 comprises (i) an input connected to a first switch and a secondswitch, wherein the first switch and second switches are configured toselectively connect the input of the LED stage to the first and secondpower lines 110 and 112, respectively, under control of switch controlcircuitry, and (ii) an output connected to a third switch and a fourthswitch, wherein the third and fourth switches are configured toselectively connect the output of the LED stage to the first and secondpower lines 110 and 112, respectively. For example, the first block ofLEDs 201 in Stage 1 has an input connected to switches S1 and S2, and anoutput connected to switches S3 and S4. Moreover, the second block ofLEDs 202 has an input connected the switches S3 and S4 and to the outputof the first block of LEDs 201, and so on.

The configuration of the LED circuit 200 allows the LED devices to bedriven directly from the AC power 100 applied to the first and secondpower lines 110 and 112 by selectively activating the switches S1-S22according to a switching protocol that is synchronized with the voltagelevel and phase of the AC power 100. The switching scheme is configuredto selectively connect one or more of the blocks of serially-connectedLED devices 201-210 to the first and second power lines 110 and 112 todrive the LED stages with the AC power (as opposed to DC power). Forexample, as explained in further detail below, FIGS. 2B-2K illustratedifferent switching states of the LED circuit 200 of FIG. 2A, whereintwo or more of the blocks of serially-connected LED devices 201-210 areconnected in series and/or in parallel between the first and secondpower lines 110 and 112.

For illustrative purposes, FIGS. 2B-2K will be discussed in the contextFIG. 3A, wherein FIG. 3A illustrates an exemplary AC voltage waveform100 which is applied to the LED circuit 200, and wherein the AC voltagewaveform 100 is shown to be divided into a plurality of zones 300 (e.g.,Zone 0, Zone 1, Zone 2, Zone 4, and Zone 5) in a positive-half cycle ofthe AC waveform 100 and a plurality of zones 310 (e.g., Zone 0, Zone 6,Zone 7, Zone 8, Zone 9, and Zone 10) in a negative half-cycle of the ACwaveform 100. FIG. 3A illustrates a method for driving the blocks of LEDdevices 201-210 at various times during the positive and negativehalf-cycles of the AC voltage waveform 100 to illuminate the LED devicesduring portions of positive and/or negative cycles of the AC voltagewaveform 100, with no periods of darkness except for Zone 0 just beforeand right after zero voltage crossings of the AC voltage waveform 100where there is insufficient voltage level to drive any of the blocks ofLED devices 201-210.

For example, FIG. 2A illustrates a switching state of the LED circuit200 in which all the switches S1-S22 are open (i.e., not activated) forZone 0 of the AC voltage waveform 100 such that all LED stages Stage1-Stage 10 are deactivated. In particular, in this switching state, noneof the blocks of serially-connected LED devices 201-210 are connected tothe first and second power lines 110 and 112. As shown in FIG. 3A, Zone0 represents the portions of the positive and negative half-cycles ofthe AC voltage waveform 100 in which the voltage is less than 30V. Inthis instance, it is assumed that 30V is insufficient voltage toproperly drive any of the blocks of serially-connected LED devices201-210, which each include 10 LED devices, which would require at least35V to activate the given block of 10 LED serially-connected deviceseach with a nominal forward bias voltage of 3.5V.

FIG. 2B illustrates a switching state of the LED circuit 200 in whichthe switches S1, S4, S5, S8, S9, S12, S13, S16, S17, and S20 areactivated for Zone 1 of the positive half-cycle of the AC voltagewaveform 100. In this state, the LED stages Stage 1, Stage 3, Stage 5,Stage 7, and Stage 9 are activated such that the blocks ofserially-connected LED devices 201, 203, 205, 207, and 209 are connectedin parallel between the first and second power lines 110 and 112. Inthis state, there is sufficient voltage in Zone 1 of the positivehalf-cycle of the AC voltage waveform 100 (e.g., greater than 30V) todrive each block of 10 serially-connected LED devices.

FIG. 2C illustrates a switching state of the LED circuit 200 in whichthe switches S1, S6, S7, S12, S13, and S18 are activated for Zone 2 ofthe positive half-cycle of the AC voltage waveform 100. In this state,the LED stages Stage 1, Stage 2, Stage 4, Stage 5, Stage 7, and Stage 8are activated, wherein (i) the blocks of serially-connected LED devices201 and 202 are concatenated to form a first concatenated block of 20serially-connected LED devices, (ii) the blocks of serially-connectedLED devices 204 and 205 are concatenated to form a second concatenatedblock of 20 serially-connected LED devices, and (iii) the blocks ofserially-connected LED devices 207 and 208 are concatenated to form athird concatenated block of 20 serially-connected LED devices. Asfurther shown in FIG. 2C, the first, second and third concatenatedblocks of LED devices are connected in parallel between the first andsecond power lines 110 and 112. In this state, there is sufficientvoltage (greater than 60V) in Zone 2 of the positive half-cycle of theAC voltage waveform 100 to drive each of the first, second and thirdconcatenated blocks of 20 serially-connected LED devices.

FIG. 2D illustrates a switching state of the LED circuit 200 in whichthe switches S1, S8, S9, and S16 are activated for Zone 3 of thepositive half-cycle of the AC voltage waveform 100. In this state, theLED stages Stage 1, Stage 2, Stage 3, Stage 5, Stage 6 and Stage 7 areactivated, wherein (i) the blocks of serially-connected LED devices 201,202, and 203 are concatenated to form a first concatenated block of 30serially-connected LED devices, and (ii) the blocks ofserially-connected LED devices 205, 206 and 207 are concatenated to forma second concatenated block of 30 serially-connected LED devices. Asfurther shown in FIG. 2D, the first and second concatenated blocks ofLED devices are connected in parallel between the first and second powerlines 110 and 112. In this state, there is sufficient voltage (greaterthan 90V) in Zone 3 of the positive half-cycle of the AC voltagewaveform 100 to drive each of the first and second concatenated blocksof 30 serially-connected LED devices.

FIG. 2E illustrates a switching state of the LED circuit 200 in whichthe switches S1, S10, S11, and S20 are activated for Zone 4 of thepositive half-cycle of the AC voltage waveform 100. In this state, theLED stages Stage 1-Stage 4, and Stage 6-Stage 9 are activated, wherein(i) the blocks of serially-connected LED devices 201, 202, 203, and 204are concatenated to form a first concatenated block of 40serially-connected LED devices, and (ii) the blocks ofserially-connected LED devices 206, 207, 208, and 209 are concatenatedto form a second concatenated block of 40 serially-connected LEDdevices. As further shown in FIG. 2E, the first and second concatenatedblocks of LED devices are connected in parallel between the first andsecond power lines 110 and 112. In this state, there is sufficientvoltage (greater than 120V) in Zone 4 of the positive half-cycle of theAC voltage waveform 100 to drive each of the first and secondconcatenated blocks of 40 serially-connected LED devices.

FIG. 2F illustrates a switching state of the LED circuit 200 in whichthe switches S1 and S12 are activated for Zone 5 of the positivehalf-cycle of the AC voltage waveform 100. In this state, the LED stagesStage 1-Stage 5 are activated, wherein the blocks of serially-connectedLED devices 201, 202, 203, 204, and 205 are concatenated to form a firstconcatenated block of 50 serially-connected LED devices, which isconnected between the first and second power lines 110 and 112. In thisstate, there is sufficient voltage (greater than 150V) in Zone 5 of thepositive half-cycle of the AC voltage waveform 100 to drive the firstconcatenated block of 50 serially-connected LED devices.

As shown in FIG. 3A, on the falling portion of the positive-half cycle,the Zone sequence Z4, Z3, Z3, Z1 and Z0 results in a repeated reversesequence of the switching states shown in FIGS. 2A-2E. As further shownin FIG. 3A, for the negative half-cycle of the AC voltage waveform 100,the waveform transitions in a Zone sequence of Zone 0, Zone 6, Zone 7,Zone 8, Zone 9, Zone 10, Zone 9, Zone 8, Zone 7, Zone 6 and Zone 0.FIGS. 2G through 2K illustrate different switching states of the LEDcircuit 200 in sequence from Zone 6 through Zone 10. FIGS. 2G-2Killustrate LED stage activation configurations similar to those shown inFIGS. 2B-2F, but wherein the inputs to the LED stages are connected tothe second power line 112 in the negative half-cycle of the AC voltagewaveform 100 to place the LED devices in a forward-biased state.

In particular, FIG. 2G illustrates a switching state of the LED circuit200 in which the switches S2, S3, S6, S7, S10, S11, S14, S15, S18 andS19 are activated for Zone 6 of the negative half-cycle of the ACvoltage waveform 100. In this state, the LED stages Stage 1, Stage 3,Stage 5, Stage 7, and Stage 9 are activated such that the blocks ofserially-connected LED devices 201, 203, 205, 207, and 209 are connectedin parallel between the first and second power lines 110 and 112. Inthis state, there is sufficient voltage in Zone 6 of the AC voltagewaveform (e.g., greater than 30V) to drive each block of 10serially-connected LED devices. In this configuration, as shown in FIG.2G, the input terminals of the blocks of serially-connected LED devices201, 203, 205, 207, and 209 are connected to the second power line 112and the output terminals of the blocks of serially-connected LED devices201, 203, 205, 207, and 209 are connected to the first power line 110,which places the LED devices in a forward-biased state during thenegative half-cycle of the AC voltage waveform 100.

FIG. 2H illustrates a switching state of the LED circuit 200 in whichthe switches S2, S5, S8, S11, S14, and S17 are activated for Zone 7 ofthe negative half-cycle of the AC voltage waveform 100. In this state,the LED stages Stage 1, Stage 2, Stage 4, Stage 5, Stage 7 and Stage 8are activated, wherein (i) the blocks of serially-connected LED devices201 and 202 are concatenated to form a first concatenated block of 20serially-connected LED devices, (ii) the blocks of serially-connectedLED devices 204 and 205 are concatenated to form a second concatenatedblock of 20 serially-connected LED devices, and (iii) the blocks ofserially-connected LED devices 207 and 208 are concatenated to form athird concatenated block of 20 serially-connected LED devices. Asfurther shown in FIG. 2H, the first, second and third concatenatedblocks of LED devices are connected in parallel between the first andsecond power lines 110 and 112. In this state, there is sufficientvoltage (greater than 60V) in Zone 7 of the negative half-cycle of theAC voltage waveform 100 to drive each of the first, second, and thirdconcatenated blocks of 20 serially-connected LED devices.

FIG. 2I illustrates a switching state of the LED circuit 200 in whichthe switches S2, S7, S10, and S15 are activated for Zone 8 of thenegative half-cycle of the AC voltage waveform 100. In this state, theLED stages Stage 1, Stage 2, Stage 3, Stage 5, Stage 6 and Stage 7 areactivated, wherein (i) the blocks of serially-connected LED devices 201,202, and 203 are concatenated to form a first concatenated block of 30serially-connected LED devices, and (ii) the blocks ofserially-connected LED devices 205, 206, and 207 are concatenated toform a second concatenated block of 30 serially-connected LED devices.As further shown in FIG. 2I, the first and second concatenated blocks ofLED devices are connected in parallel between the first and second powerlines 110 and 112. In this state, there is sufficient voltage (greaterthan 90V) in Zone 8 of the negative half-cycle of the AC voltagewaveform 100 to drive each of the first and second concatenated blocksof 30 serially-connected LED devices.

FIG. 2J illustrates a switching state of the LED circuit 200 in whichthe switches S2, S9, S12, and S19 are activated for Zone 9 of thenegative half-cycle of the AC voltage waveform 100. In this state, theLED stages Stage 1-Stage 4, and Stage 6-Stage 9 are activated, wherein(i) the blocks of serially-connected LED devices 201, 202, 203, and 204are concatenated to form a first concatenated block of 40serially-connected LED devices, and (ii) the blocks ofserially-connected LED devices 206, 207, 208, and 209 are concatenatedto form a second concatenated block of 40 serially-connected LEDdevices. As further shown in FIG. 2J, the first and second concatenatedblocks of LED devices are connected in parallel between the first andsecond power lines 110 and 112. In this state, there is sufficientvoltage (greater than 120V) in Zone 9 of the negative half-cycle of theAC voltage waveform 100 to drive each of the first and secondconcatenated blocks of 40 serially-connected LED devices.

FIG. 2K illustrates a switching state of the LED circuit 200 in whichthe switches S2 and S11 are activated for Zone 10 of the negativehalf-cycle of the AC voltage waveform 100. In this state, the LED stagesStage 1-Stage 5 are activated, wherein the blocks of serially-connectedLED devices 201, 202, 203, 204, and 205 are concatenated to form a firstconcatenated block of 50 serially-connected LED devices, which isconnected between the first and second power lines 110 and 112. In thisstate, there is sufficient voltage (greater than 150V) in Zone 10 of thenegative half-cycle of the AC voltage waveform 100 to drive the firstconcatenated block of 50 serially-connected LED devices.

Referring again to FIG. 3A, on the rising portion of the negative-halfcycle of the AC voltage waveform 100, the Zone sequence Z9, Z8, Z7, Z6and Z0 results in a repeated reverse sequence of the switching statesshown in FIGS. 2G-2J. As demonstrated above, FIGS. 2A-2K and FIG. 3Acollectively illustrate an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure inwhich LED blocks of 10 serially-connected LED devices, which compriseLED devices with an operating range of about 2.8V to 4.2V, can support aworking range of about 30V to about 40 V, and even higher voltages byconcatenating the LED blocks, thereby allowing a relatively stable levelof light to be generated by the LED devices for a majority of thepositive and negative cycles of the AC mains power. The timing foractivating the various switches S1-S22 as shown in FIGS. 2A-2K may beimplemented based on, e.g., detection of voltage level, phase, and/ortime, e.g., based on line frequency and/or detection of zero-crossingevents using one or more zero-crossing detector circuits, or otherschemes as discussed in further detail below.

FIG. 3B schematically illustrates a current waveform 320 to show thatpositive current flows through the blocks of serially-connected LEDdevices 201-210 of the activated LED stages of the LED circuit 200 inFIGS. 2B-2K during both the positive and negative half-cycles of the ACvoltage waveform 100. In this regard, the LED circuit 200 and associatedswitch fabric and switching configurations as discussed above enables avirtual rectification of the negative half-cycles of the AC voltagewaveform 100 as a result of connecting the positive terminals of theblocks of serially-connected LED devices 201-210 to the second powerline 112 (e.g., line neutral) during the negative half-cycle of the ACvoltage waveform 100. As explained below in conjunction with FIG. 6, insome embodiments, each switch S1-S22 is implemented as a bidirectionalsolid-state switch which can be controlled in bi-directional fashionwith unidirectional current flow, such that the negative half-cycles ofthe AC mains waveform 100 have substantially the same illuminationcapability as positive half-cycles of the AC mains waveform 100.

In some embodiments of the disclosure, with non-limiting reference tothe exemplary embodiment of FIGS. 2A-2K, the switching sequence andactivation of the LED stages for each of the Zones 1-10 is configured toprovide a relatively constant illumination level over the various Zones1-5 and 6-10 of the positive and negative half-cycles of the AC voltagewaveform 100. For example, FIG. 3C schematically illustrates anexemplary process to achieve a constant brightness by activating anumber N of LEDs in each zone in a manner that is inversely proportionalto the magnitude of the current. In particular, FIG. 3C illustrates thecurrent waveform 320 (of FIG. 3B) superimposed with a first curve 330and a second curve 340.

The first curve 330 represents a number of LEDs (N) as function of1/sin(wt) (based on the frequency, e.g., 60 Hz of the AC voltagewaveform 100). The second curve 340 represents an empirically determinedbrightness L, which is empirically determined as L=1/N×k, wherein Idenotes a magnitude of the current waveform 320, N denotes a number ofLEDs to be activated, and k denotes an empirically determined constant.The first and second curves 330 and 340 represent functions that areutilized by a processor to control the switching in the LED circuitry toactivate a given number N of LEDs for a given zone based on themagnitude of the current I. In this control process, as the AC powertransitions through the Zones 300 and 310 in the positive and negativehalf-cycles, as the current I increases, the number N of LEDs activatedwill decrease, and vice versa.

As schematically illustrated in FIG. 3C, the desired brightness waveform340 provides a constant DC brightness level L over all Zones 1-10, whileproviding a short dark period for each Zone 0 in the positive andnegative half-cycles of the AC power. However, since the darkness periodwhere L=0 is very short (e.g., less than 10% of full AC waveform cycle),any flickering due to such short period of darkness will not be visibleto the human eye.

In an exemplary non-limiting embodiment, the various switching states ofthe LED circuit 200 shown in FIGS. 2B-2K can implement a switchingfunction in accordance with the principles of FIG. 3C to achieverelatively constant brightness by the LEDs activated in each of theZones 1-10. For example, in FIG. 2B, for Zone 1 where the voltagereaches 30V, 15 stages of the 10 serially-connected LED blocks can beactivated in parallel to turn on 150 LEDs. In FIG. 2C, for Zone 2 wherethe voltage increases to about 60V, the total number N of activated LEDswill be about 100. In FIG. 2D, for Zone 3 where the voltage increases toabout 90, the total number N of activated LEDS will be about 90. In FIG.2E, for Zone 4 where the voltage increases to about 120V, the totalnumber N of activated LEDs will be about 80. In FIG. 2F, for Zone 5where the voltage increases to about 150V, the total number N ofactivated LEDs will be about 50. The same number of LEDs for each ofZones 6-10 will be the same for Zones 1-5. In this manner, as thevoltage increases in the sequential Zones (and thus the current Iincreases, FIG. 3B), the number N of activated LEDs will be decreased tomaintain a constant brightness level across the Zones, while as thevoltage decreases in sequential Zones, the number N of activated LEDswill be increased to maintain a constant brightness level across theZones.

FIG. 4 schematically illustrates an LED circuit 400 according to anotherembodiment of the disclosure. The LED circuit 400 comprises a pluralityof LED stages, Stage 1-Stage 7, a plurality of switches S1-S16, a firstpower line 110 (denoted “Line Hot”) and a second power line 112 (denoted“Line Neutral”), which are connected to AC power (e.g., the AC waveform100 of utility supply power of FIG. 1) that is used to drive the LEDsstages of the LED circuit 400. As shown in FIG. 4, each LED stagecomprises a respective block of serially-connected LED devices 401-207.For illustrative purposes, only 7 stages are shown in FIG. 4, althoughin some embodiments, the LED circuit 400 will have more than 7 LEDstages.

In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 4, the blocks of serially-connectedLED devices 401-407 have different numbers of serially-connected LEDdevices. For example, in the first LED stage (Stage 1), the block ofserially-connected LED device 401 comprises 10 LED devices. In thesecond LED stage (Stage 2), the block of serially-connected LED devices402 comprises 3 LED devices. In the third LED stage (Stage 3), the blockof serially-connected LED devices 403 comprises 4 LED devices. In thefourth LED stage (Stage 4), the block of serially-connected LED devices404 comprises 5 LED devices. In the fifth LED stage (Stage 5), the blockof serially-connected LED devices 405 comprises 7 LED devices. In thesixth LED stage (Stage 6), the block of serially-connected LED devices406 comprises 9 LED devices. In the seventh LED stage (Stage 7), theblock of serially-connected LED devices 407 comprises 12 LED devices. Inthis configuration, the varied number of LED devices in each LED stageallows for a more fine-adjustment of the number of LED devices that areactivated or deactivated during different Zones of the AC power cyclesbased on smaller increases or decreases in voltage over a large numberof Zones.

For example, FIG. 5A is a table that illustrates various switchingstates of the switches S1-S16 in the LED circuit 400 of FIG. 4 overfourteen different and overlapping Zones. In FIG. 5A, is assumed thatthe LED devices of FIG. 4 have a 3.5V nominal operating voltages, andthe AC voltage waveform 100 comprises a 120 Vrms waveform. As shown inFIG. 5A, the number of activated LED devices for Zones 1 through 7 andZones 8 through 14 are shown as: 10, 13, 17, 22, 29, 38, and 50 LEDdevices, respectively, wherein the Zones are configured to overlap aneliminate potential short periods of darkness between Zones. In thisconfiguration, the LED circuit 400 can have an LED stage that isactivated at 9V, rather than 30V (for the 10 LED stages shown in FIGS.2A-2K). In particular, in the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 4, thefollowing LED stages can be activated with the following voltage levels:(i) the 3-LED stage 402 can be enabled with the AC mains between 9 to 12Volts; (ii) the 4-LED stage 403 can be enabled with the AC mains between12V to 15V; (iii) the 5-LED stage 404 can be enabled with the AC mainsbetween 15 to 20V; (iv) the 7-LED stage 405 can be enabled with the ACmains between 21V to 27V (or higher); (v) the 9-LED stage 406 zone canbe enabled with the AC mains between 27V to 30 V (or higher); and (vi)the 10-LED stage can be enabled with the AC mains at around 35V (orhigher), etc.

FIG. 5B shows one full cycle of an AC voltage waveform 100 withoverlapping Zones 1-7 in the positive half-cycle 500 of the AC voltagewaveform 100, and overlapping zones 8-14 in the negative half-cycle 510of the AC voltage waveform 100. FIG. 5B illustrates an exemplaryembodiment for providing time overlap for switching states in thevarious Zones, to thereby eliminate potential short periods of darknessbetween adjacent Zones.

FIG. 6 schematically illustrates a solid-state bidirectional switch 600which can be used to implement the switches shown in the LED circuits200 and 400 of FIGS. 2A and 4. The solid-state bidirectional switch 600comprises first and second input/output terminals 601 and 602, and acontrol terminal 603. The solid-state bidirectional switch 600 isconfigured to allow a bidirectional flow of current, when thesolid-state bidirectional switch 600 is in “switched-on state” byoperation of a control signal applied to the control terminal 603.

The solid-state bidirectional switch 600 comprises a first MOSFET switch610 and a second MOSFET switch 620 which are connected back-to-back inseries. In some embodiments, the first and second MOSFET switches 610and 620 comprise power MOSFET devices and, in particular, N-typeenhancement MOSFET devices, having gate terminal (G), drain terminals(D), and source terminals (S) as shown. In the exemplary embodiment ofFIG. 6, the solid-state bidirectional switch 600 is implemented usingtwo N-channel MOSFET switches 610 and 620 with commonly connected sourceterminals. The first and second MOSFET switches 610 and 620 comprisesintrinsic body diodes 610-1 and 620-1, respectively, which represent theP-N junctions between the P-type substrate body to N-doped drain regionsof the MOSFET devices. The body diodes 610-1 and 620-1 are intrinsicelements of the MOSFET switches 610 and 620 (i.e., not discreteelements) and, thus, are shown with dashed-line connections. It is to benoted that the intrinsic body-to-source diodes of the MOSFET switches610 and 620 are not shown as they are shorted out by the connectionsbetween the source regions and the substrate bodies (e.g., N+ source andP body junction are shorted through source metallization). The operationof the solid-state bidirectional switch 600 is well known to those ofordinary skill in the art.

FIG. 7 schematically illustrates a light generating circuit 700according to an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure. The lightgenerating circuit 700 is connected to a utility AC power supply 100which is utilized by the light generating circuit 700 to drive LEDdevices using techniques as discussed herein. The light generatingcircuit 700 is connected to a hot phase 110 (referred to as “line hot”)of the AC mains 100 and a neutral phase 112 (referred to as “lineneutral”) of the AC mains 100. As further illustrated in FIG. 7, theline neutral 112 is shown bonded to earth ground 114 (GND), whichprovides added protections as is known in the art.

The light generating circuit 700 comprises AC-to-DC converter circuitry710, zero-crossing detection circuitry 720, switch control circuitry730, and an arrangement of LED circuit stages and switches 740. In someembodiments, the arrangement of LED circuit stages and switches 740implements an LED circuit which is the same or similar to the LEDcircuits 200 or 400 as shown in FIGS. 2A and 4. The switch controlcircuitry 730 implements switching protocols to selectively activateswitches within the block of LED circuit stages and switches 740 toselectively connect individual and/or concatenated blocks ofserially-connected LED devices to the AC power supply lines, to drivethe LED switches using AC power. The switch control circuitry 730generates and outputs switch control signals on a plurality (n) ofswitch control lines SCL1, SCL2, SCLn, which are connected to controlterminals of corresponding switches within the switching fabric that isutilized to selectively connect individual and/or concatenated blocks ofserially-connected LED devices within the LED stages 740 to the AC powersupply lines.

The AC-to-DC converter circuitry 710 is configured to provide DC supplypower to various circuitry and elements of the light generating circuit700 including the zero-crossing detection circuitry 720 and the switchcontrol circuitry 730. However, the AC-to-DC converter circuitry 710 isnot configured to provide DC supply voltage for driving LED devices. Insome embodiments, the AC-to-DC converter circuitry 710 can beimplemented using the same or similar DC power conversion techniques asdisclosed in the following co-pending applications: (1) U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/092,263, filed on Oct. 9, 2018 (Pub. No.: US2019/0165691), entitled High-Efficiency AC to DC Converter and Methods;and (2) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/340,672, filed on Apr. 9,2019 (Pub. No.: US 2019/0238060), entitled High-Efficiency AC Direct toDC Extraction Converter and Methods, the disclosures of which are allfully incorporated herein by reference.

The zero-crossing detection circuitry 720 is configured to detect zerovoltage crossings of the AC voltage waveform that drives the LEDs. Thezero-crossing detection circuitry 720 can be implemented using anysuitable type of voltage zero-crossing detection circuitry that isconfigured to sense zero crossings of voltage of the AC power supplywaveform and generate a detection signal which indicates a zero-crossingevent and an associated transition direction of the zero-crossing eventof the voltage waveform (e.g., the AC waveform transitioning fromnegative to positive (referred to as “positive transition direction”),or the AC waveform transitioning from positive to negative (referred toas a “negative transition direction”)). In some embodiments, thezero-crossing detection circuitry 720 is compare the AC voltage on thehot line to a zero reference voltage (e.g., line neutral voltage) todetermine the polarity of the AC waveform on the hot line path, anddetect a zero-crossing event and the associated transition direction ofthe zero-crossing of the AC waveform. In some embodiments, the comparingis performed using a voltage comparator which has a non-inverting inputconnected to the hot line path, and an inverting input that receives areference voltage. The output of the voltage comparator switches (i)from logic 1 to logic 0 when the input voltage transitions from positiveto negative and (ii) from logic 0 to logic 1 when the input voltagetransitions from negative to positive. In this instance, the output ofthe zero-crossing detection circuitry 720 will transition between alogic “1” and logic “0” output upon each detected zero crossing of theAC voltage waveform. The switch control circuitry 730 utilizes thetiming and polarity transition direction of the detected zero voltagecrossings to control the timing and sequence of activating the switcheswith the block of LED circuit stages and switches and connect the LEDdevices to the AC supply lines to drive the LED stages, as discussedabove.

The switch control circuitry 730 may comprise a central processing unit,a microprocessor, a microcontroller, an application-specific integratedcircuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), and other typesof processors, as well as portions or combinations of such processors,which can perform switch control functions using hardware control,software/firmware control, and a combination thereof.

In other embodiments, the switch control circuitry 730 may implementmodulation schemes, such as pulse-width modulation (PWM), to modulatethe activation of the LED stages in the different zones to implementflicker-free levels of dimming with complete compatibility with theAC-Direct LED driving methods as discussed herein. The modulation can beconfigured to soften the transition between states when strings of LEDdevices are added or removed. Also, the implementation of a computingdevice, such as CPU core, microcontroller, or other digital/analogdevice, can facilitate support for overall or local systemreconfiguration, e.g., during manufacturing and/or operational use inthe field to mitigate AC main transient events.

It is to be understood that the various combinations of LED strings, thenumber of LEDs, whether in series or parallel, and/or with varyingswitching configurations and LED operating voltages may be a linearand/or non-linear optimization problem that can be determined based onvarious design and/or cost constraints.

The switch control methods that are implemented by, e.g., the switchcontrol circuitry 730 may be synchronized in time with the AC voltagewaveform to divide the AC waveform into discrete Zones, as discussedabove. The switch control process may be synchronized with linefrequency, with the incremented states beginning from zero voltageswitching and zero crossing events as detected by the zero-crossingdetection circuitry 720. The LED switching Zones can be determined forminitial power-up 0 time/0Vs, optionally divided into multiple zones(e.g., 5 Zones) equally with equal time duration with slide variation.

In some embodiments, each switching zone may be pulse width modulated(or other modulation technique) to provide illumination balance at eachzone, during zone overlap, and for dimming control. Also, by steering tocontrol current automatically under algorithmic control, additional LEDsmay be added in parallel to increase light output per zone, and numberof zones may be adjustable by design and/or configured initially infactory or field subsequently.

In other embodiments, state changes may be timed using, e.g.,resistor-capacitor time constant within each zone among the LEDs.Furthermore, to maintain a constant illumination level during rising andfalling portions of the AC mains waveform, each subsequent zone (i.e.,after initial zone) may be controlled via a PWM scheme that enables aprior-to-previous zone disable operation, whereby the PWM starts with anincreasing duty cycle on the rising portion of the AC mains waveformuntil a previous zone disables, and gradually decreases while the ACmains waveform continues to rise. Accordingly, the PWM graduallyincreases in duty cycle during a downward slope of AC mains waveform tomaintain the intensity with a decreasing voltage level; hence, beingpossible for PWM at subsequent zones implemented with an intermediateconnection to ground.

FIG. 8 schematically illustrates a light generating device 800 which isimplemented in a monolithic wafer form, according to an exemplaryembodiment of disclosure. The light generating device 800 comprises asemiconductor wafer substrate 802 (e.g., silicon substrate), whichcomprises a monolithic integrated circuit. The monolithic integratedcircuit comprises an LED array 804, switch circuitry 806, AC power inputterminals 808, and control circuitry 810. In some embodiments, FIG. 8illustrates a monolithic wafer implementation of the light generatingcircuit 700 of FIG. 7.

The AC power input terminals 808 are configured for connection to an ACpower source. The AC power input terminals 808 are coupled to first andsecond power lines that comprise metallization that is used to route anddistribute the AC power to various regions of the wafer 802. The LEDarray 804 comprises a plurality of LED devices 820 that are connected toform a plurality of LED stages, wherein each LED stage comprises aplurality of serially-connected LED devices 820, such as schematicallyillustrated in FIGS. 2A and 4, for example. The switching circuitry 806comprises a plurality of switches (e.g., solid-state bi-directionalswitches) that are coupled to the LED array 804 using a wiring networkto connect the switches to the inputs and outputs of the LED stages. Theswitch control circuitry 810 is configured to control the plurality ofswitches of the switching circuitry 806 to selectively connect at LEDstages to the first and second power lines to empower the LED stageswith AC power from the AC power source connected to the AC inputterminals 808. The switches within the switching circuitry 806 can beconfigured in a microcell arrangement, or a functional cell arrangementwith well-defined tab positions.

As further shown in FIG. 8, in some embodiments, each LED device 820comprises an optical filter 822 disposed over the LED device 820 and alens element 824 disposed over the LED device 820. In some embodiments,the optical filter 822 comprise a phosphor layer to filter the lightthat is emitted by the LED device 820. The lens element 824 isconfigured to direct, focus, collimate, etc., or otherwise achieve adesired directionality of the light that is emitted by the LED device820.

FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary embodiment wherein the light generatingdevice 800 implemented in monolithic wafer form can be used to implementan LED lighting device or system without requiring wafer segmentationfor repackaging in different form factors. The wafer substrate 802 canbe implemented using various standard wafer sizes to accommodate largeror smaller LED arrays to achieve a desired light output level. Largerwafers can be partitioned into smaller dies, wherein each die comprisesan integrated light generating monolithic circuit.

FIG. 9 schematically illustrates a light generating device 900 which isimplemented in a monolithic wafer form, according to another exemplaryembodiment of disclosure. The light generating device 900 comprises asemiconductor wafer substrate 902 (e.g., silicon substrate), whichcomprises a monolithic integrated circuit. The monolithic integratedcircuit comprises an LED array 904, switch circuitry 906, AC power inputterminals 908, and control circuitry 910. In some embodiments, FIG. 9illustrates a monolithic wafer implementation of the light generatingcircuit 700 of FIG. 7. The light generating device 900 is similar to thelight generating device 800 of FIG. 8, except that the light generatingdevice 900 has a different arrangement of LED devices within the LEDarray 904, wherein the LED array 904 comprises LED devices arranged incircular footprint regions, wherein each circular footprint region issurrounded by switch circuitry 906 which comprises an arrangement ofswitches that are utilized to connect the LED devices, or blocks ofserially-connected LED devices, to power lines or otherwise concatenateblocks of serially-connected LED devices to form larger strings ofserially-connected LED device, such as discussed above.

Although exemplary embodiments have been described herein with referenceto the accompanying figures, it is to be understood that the currentdisclosure is not limited to those precise embodiments, and that variousother changes and modifications may be made therein by one skilled inthe art without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An integrated circuit comprising: a first powerline and a second power line configured for connection to analternating-current (AC) power source; a plurality of light-emittingdiode (LED) stages, wherein each LED stage comprises a plurality of LEDdevices that are serially connected between an input terminal and anoutput terminal of the LED stage, and wherein the LED stages are coupledin a chain with the input terminal of at least one LED stage coupled tothe output terminal of another LED stage; switching circuitry coupled tothe first and second power lines and to the input and output terminalsof each LED stage; and switch control circuitry configured to controlthe switching circuitry to (i) selectively connect the first power lineand the second power line to the input terminal and the output terminal,respectively, of at least one LED stage during a positive half-cycle ofAC power applied to the first and second power lines, and (ii)selectively connect the second power line and the first power line tothe input terminal and the output terminal, respectively, of the atleast one LED stage during a negative half-cycle of the AC power appliedto the first and second power lines.
 2. The integrated circuit of claim1, wherein the switch control circuitry is configured to execute aswitch timing control program to synchronize operation of the switchingcircuitry to empower one or more LED stages based on a voltage level ofthe applied AC power.
 3. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein: theplurality of LED stages comprises a first LED stage and a second LEDstage, wherein the input terminal of the second LED stage is coupled tothe output terminal of the first LED stage; and the switch controlcircuitry is configured to control the switching circuitry to (i)selectively connect the first power line to the input terminal of thefirst LED stage and selectively connect the second power line to theoutput terminal of the second LED stage, to thereby concatenate thefirst and second LED stages between the first and second power linesduring a positive half-cycle of the AC power applied to the first andsecond power lines, and (ii) selectively connect the second power lineto the input terminal of the first LED stage and selectively connect thefirst power line to the output terminal of the second LED stage, tothereby concatenate the first and second LED stages between the secondand first power lines during a negative half-cycle of the AC powerapplied to the first and second power lines.
 4. The integrated circuitof claim 1, wherein: the plurality of LED stages comprises a first LEDstage and a second LED stage; and the switch control circuitry isconfigured to control the switching circuitry to (i) selectively connectthe first power line to the input terminals of the first and second LEDstages and selectively connect the second power line to the outputterminals of the first and second LED stages, to thereby connect thefirst and second LED stages in parallel between the first and secondpower lines during a positive half-cycle of the AC power applied to thefirst and second power lines, and (ii) selectively connect the secondpower line to the input terminals of the first and second LED stages andselectively connect the first power line to the output terminals of thefirst and second LED stages, to thereby connect the first and second LEDstages in parallel between the second and first power lines during anegative half-cycle of the AC power applied to the first and secondpower lines.
 5. The integrated circuit of claim 1, further comprising: azero-crossing detection circuit configured to detect zero-voltagecrossings of an AC voltage waveform applied on the first and secondpower lines and output a detection signal which indicates azero-crossing event and a direction of polarity transition of the ACvoltage waveform; wherein the switch control circuitry utilizes theoutput detection signal to control operation of the switching circuitryto empower one or more LED stages based on a voltage level of theapplied AC power.
 6. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein each LEDstage comprises a same number of serially-connected LED devices.
 7. Theintegrated circuit of claim 1, wherein at least two LED stages havedifferent numbers of serially-connected LED devices.
 8. The integratedcircuit of claim 1, wherein each LED device has an operating range fromabout 2.8V to about 4.2V.
 9. An LED lighting system comprising theintegrated circuit of claim
 1. 10. A device, comprising: a semiconductorwafer comprising a monolithic integrated circuit, wherein the monolithicintegrated circuit comprises: alternating-current (AC) power inputterminals configured for connection to an AC power source, and a firstpower line and a second power line coupled to respective ones of the ACpower input terminals; a plurality of light-emitting diode (LED) stages,wherein each LED stage comprises a plurality of LED devices that areserially connected between an input terminal and an output terminal ofthe LED stage, and wherein the LED stages are coupled in a chain withthe input terminal of at least one LED stage coupled to the outputterminal of another LED stage; switching circuitry coupled to the firstand second power lines and to the input and output terminals of each LEDstage; and switch control circuitry configured to control the switchingcircuitry to (i) selectively connect the first power line and the secondpower line to the input terminal and the output terminal, respectively,of at least one LED stage during a positive half-cycle of AC powerapplied to the first and second power lines, and (ii) selectivelyconnect the second power line and the first power line to the inputterminal and the output terminal, respectively, of the at least one LEDstage during a negative half-cycle of the AC power applied to the firstand second power lines.
 11. The device of claim 10, wherein the switchcontrol circuitry is configured to execute a switch timing controlprogram to synchronize operation of the switching circuitry to empowerone or more LED stages based on a voltage level of the applied AC power.12. The device of claim 10, wherein: the plurality of LED stagescomprises a first LED stage and a second LED stage, wherein the inputterminal of the second LED stage is coupled to the output terminal ofthe first LED stage; and the switch control circuitry is configured tocontrol the switching circuitry to (i) selectively connect the firstpower line to the input terminal of the first LED stage and selectivelyconnect the second power line to the output terminal of the second LEDstage, to thereby concatenate the first and second LED stages betweenthe first and second power lines during a positive half-cycle of ACpower applied to the first and second power lines, and (ii) selectivelyconnect the second power line to the input terminal of the first LEDstage and selectively connect the first power line to the outputterminal of the second LED stage, to thereby concatenate the first andsecond LED stages between the second and first power lines during anegative half-cycle of AC power applied to the first and second powerlines.
 13. The device of claim 10, wherein: the plurality of LED stagescomprises a first LED stage and a second LED stage; and the switchcontrol circuitry is configured to control the switching circuitry to(i) selectively connect the first power line to the input terminals ofthe first and second LED stages and selectively connect the second powerline to the output terminals of the first and second LED stages, tothereby connect the first and second LED stages in parallel between thefirst and second power lines during a positive half-cycle of AC powerapplied to the first and second power lines, and (ii) selectivelyconnect the second power line to the input terminals of the first andsecond LED stages and selectively connect the first power line to theoutput terminals of the first and second LED stages, to thereby connectthe first and second LED stages in parallel between the second and firstpower lines during a negative half-cycle of AC power applied to thefirst and second power lines.
 14. The device of claim 10, wherein themonolithic integrated circuit further comprises: a zero-crossingdetection circuit configured to detect zero-voltage crossings of an ACvoltage waveform applied on the first and second power lines and outputa detection signal which indicates a zero-crossing event and a directionof polarity transition of the AC voltage waveform; wherein the switchcontrol circuitry utilizes the output detection signal to controloperation of the switching circuitry to empower one or more LED stagesbased on a voltage level of the applied AC power.
 15. The device ofclaim 10, wherein each LED stage comprises a same number ofserially-connected LED devices.
 16. The device of claim 10, wherein atleast two LED stages have different numbers of serially-connected LEDdevices.
 17. The device of claim 10, wherein each LED device has anoperating range from about 2.8V to about 4.2V.
 18. The device of claim10, wherein the monolithic integrated circuit further comprises at leastone of (i) an optical filter disposed over each LED device, and (ii) alens disposed over each LED device.
 19. A method comprising: applyingalternating-current (AC) power to first and second power lines of alight-emitting diode (LED) lighting element, wherein the LED lightingelement comprises a plurality of LED stages, wherein each LED stagecomprises a plurality of LED devices that are serially connected betweenan input terminal and an output terminal of the LED stage, and whereinthe LED stages are coupled in a chain with the input terminal of atleast one LED stage coupled to the output terminal of another LED stage;and empowering at least one LED stage of the plurality of LED stagesduring a positive half-cycle and a negative half-cycle of the applied ACpower by (i) selectively connecting the first power line and the secondpower line to the input terminal and the output terminal, respectively,of the at least one LED stage during the positive half-cycle of theapplied AC power, and (ii) selectively connecting the second power lineand the first power line to the input terminal and the output terminal,respectively, of the at least one LED stage during the negativehalf-cycle of the applied AC power.
 20. The method of claim 19, whereinempowering at least one LED stage of the plurality of LED stages duringthe positive half-cycle and the negative half-cycle of the applied ACpower comprises: empowering two or more LED stages of the plurality ofLED stages during the positive half-cycle and the negative half-cycle ofthe applied AC power by (i) selectively connecting the first power lineto the input terminals of the two or more LED stages and selectivelyconnecting the second power line to the output terminals of the two ormore LED stages, to thereby connect the two or more LED stages inparallel between the first and second power lines during the positivehalf-cycle of applied AC power, and (ii) selectively connecting thesecond power line to the input terminals of the two or more LED stagesand selectively connecting the first power line to the output terminalsof the two or more LED stages, to thereby connect the two or more LEDstages in parallel between the second and first power lines during thenegative half-cycle of the applied AC power; and empowering two or moreLED stages of the plurality of LED stages during the positive half-cycleand the negative half-cycle of the applied AC power by (i) selectivelyconnecting the first power line to the input terminal of a first LEDstage and selectively connecting the second power line to the outputterminal of the second LED stage, to thereby serially connect a chain ofLED stages, which comprises the first and second LED stages, between thefirst and second power lines during the positive half-cycle of appliedAC power, and (ii) selectively connecting the second power line to theinput terminal of the first LED stage and selectively connecting thefirst power line to the output terminal of the second LED stage, tothereby serially connect the chain of LED stages, which comprises thefirst and second LED stages, between the second and first power linesduring the negative half-cycle of applied AC power.